Safety vatjlt-coveb



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. L. BROWN, OF BOSTON, MASSAOHUSETTIS, ASSIGNOR TO B. F. BROVN, OF BANGOR, MAINE.

SAFETY VAULT-COVER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 20,679, dated June 22, 1858.

To all whom 'it may cof/warn:

Be it known that I, EDwiN LEE BROWN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Coal-Hole Covers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the cover as inserted in the pavement. Fig. 2 is a section on the line A-B of Fig. l.

The lid or trap which is placed in the pavement to cover the aperture to the vault beneath, and is generally known as a coal hole cover, has been so arranged that, when open, the pieces which support the lid shall serve as guards to prevent passengers from stepping into the opening; it is to this class of safety coal hole covers that my iinprovements apply. These covers have been generally so arranged that when the lid was raised on its hinges it was necessary to secure the guards or supports to the frame by pins or similar means to hold up the lid, and when the lid was shut down it required some one to go down into the vault to fasten it.

To obviate these difficulties is the object of my present invention, which consists in so arranging the supports or guards that the lid when raised may remain supported, and when shut down may be self-fastening.

That others skilled in the art may understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried out the same.

In the drawings C represents the pavement, into which is inserted the frame D, surrounding the aperture to the vault beneath. To this frame is hinged, at a, the lid E, to which are hinged loosely at Z) the two guards F which serve to support the lid when raised, and to protect the opening. From each side of the frame D (immediately under the edge on which the lid shuts down) projects a block c, in the edge of which is cut a notch 3 in which the guard F slides as it is raised or lowered. One side of this notch forms a square rest 4 on which is received a shoulder in the guard F and thus serves as a support to the lid when raised. At the other edge of the notch is formed a lip or hook 8 bent down as in the drawings; when the lid is closed this hook enters a notch G in the upper part of the guard F, as shown in red, Fig. 2, and prevents the lid from being raised until the pendant guard is swung in toward the side of the frame to which the lid is hinged.

The end of the guard F is bent around at right angles, forming a stop or foot 7, which catches beneath the hook 8, and prevents the lid from being thrown backtoo far. The two guards F are connected by a brace CZ which also serves in a measure toprotect one side of the opening. .Vhen the lid is raised, the gravity of the guards F will cause them to press toward the center of the aperture, and carry the shoulder v5 on to the rest et, but this is made still more certain in its operation by the foot 7, which strikes against the hook 8, and as the upper surface of the foot is inclined to the chord of the arc in which the guard is formed, the tendency of the hook is to force the lower end of the guard toward the center ofIl the aperture, and away from the hook 8.- IVhen the lid is closed, the gravity of these guards tends to make them hang away from the center of the aperture, as shown in red Fig. 2, when the notch 6 in each guard catches under the hook 8, and prevents the lid from being raised from the outside.

Then it is desired to open the cover from the inside, it is only necessary to swing the guards F toward the hinges a, when they will clear the hooks 8; the lid may then be raised into the position shown in the drawings, where it will remain supported on the rests el, until th-e shoulder 5 is tripped olf from the rests. rIhe hinges a are formed as shown in Fig. 2, with a lip 9 projecting back under the frame E; this prevents the lid from being raised from the outside, even if the wires which form the pivots of the hinges are cut off, thus offering an addit-ional security against the operations of burglars.

IVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Pat-ent is- The hinged lid E in combination with the guards F so arranged as to support the lid when raised, and to lock it when closed as set forth.

EDIVIN LEE BROW'N. /Vitnesses Trios. R. RoAcH, P. E. TESCHEMAOHER. 

